What Am I?

by Dody Gibson

What am I is the question
Another puzzle Another game
So read your Bible from cover to cover
Then nineteen times you'll find my name
When mentioned literally I come up short
For not much good is said of me
But as a symbol to make a point
You'll find a lesson exemplary
Once I was likened to words of wisdom
And once I was weighed so we are told
Strength and security I represent
And I was used to displace the old
Suddenly I came into the temple
But not without a driving force
The consequences whether good or bad
Depend on who you were of course
Sometimes I'm made of iron or gold
Sometimes even brass or wood
The answer is always close at hand
A mystery to be understood
The Savior dealt with three of me
Though we were never mentioned by name
Only John writes of me
Many years later remembering the same
But Jesus knew me very well
So often familiar in His youth
If you have solved this puzzle by now
We'll count you as a clever sleuth